press charges

idiom

: to take legal action against someone : to officially accuse someone of a crime
He was caught shoplifting, but the store owner didn't press charges.

Examples of press charges in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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The woman’s brother and her boyfriend both wanted to press charges, according to the report. Olivia Lloyd, Miami Herald, 11 June 2025 The District Attorney for the 35th Prosecutorial District declined to press charges against the officers following an investigation, WLOS reported. Olivia Lloyd, Charlotte Observer, 10 June 2025 As a result, the State Attorney’s Office declined to press charges. Scott Travis, Sun Sentinel, 2 June 2025 He was not charged by authorities after investigations at the time and Jolie declined to press charges. Tommy McArdle, People.com, 28 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for press charges

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Cite this Entry

“Press charges.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/press%20charges. Accessed 18 Jun. 2025.

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